Traditional Medicinal and Economic Uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan Valley, Pakistan
Ethnobotanical Leaflets 10: 72-81. 2006. Traditional Medicinal and Economic uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan Valley, Pakistan Manzoor Hussain,* Ghulam Mujtaba Shah* and Mir Ajab Khan** *Botany Department, Govt Post Graduate College, Abbottabad. **Associate Professor, Dept.of Plant Sciences, Quaid-I-Azam University Islamabad. Pakistan Issued 5 March 2006 Abstract The ethnobotanical data of total 12 gymnosperms belonging to four families was collected from the local people of the Kaghan Valley. A complete list of the plants is given with their name, family and ethnobotanical use, distribution and occurrence. Indigenous knowledge of local inhabitants about the use of native plants were collected during field trips through questionnaire The inhabitants of the area have to use the medicinal plants for various purposes and have for a long time been dependent on surrounding plant resources for their food, shelter, fodder’s, health, care and other cultural purposes. Pinus roxburgii, P. wallichiana, Cedrus deodara, Abies pindrow and Taxus wallichiana are prominent gymnosperms of Kaghan Valley which are not only source of timber but also utilized as fuel wood and for medicinal purposes. Key words: Ethnobotanical uses, gymnosperms, Kaghan Valley-Pakistan. Introduction The Kunhar river catchments area is commonly known as, “Kaghan Valley”. The valley is situated in the northern part of North West Frontier Province of Pakistan (NWFP). It is 161 Km long scenic wonderlands, with its towering Himalayan peaks, peaceful lakes, majestic glaciers and splashing waterfalls. Even, today, when few places have escaped man’s meddlesome fingers, is still in an unbelievably pristine state, an unspoilt paradise. It is situated between 340-17/ to 350-10/ North latitudes and 730-28/ to 740-7/ East longitudes.
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